A grisly tale for a new century: two soldiers (marines) and their sergeant set about a carter after being refused a lift.
“Worcester, Dec.2. – Thursday last a coroner’s inquest was held on the body of Joshua Philpots, lying dead in the parish of St. Clement, in this city, when a verdict of wilful murder was found against Francis Hague, a sergeant of marines, and two other persons (soldiers) unknown. We are informed that this unfortunate man, being on his way from Bromsgrove to this city, on the 11th of September last, with his cart and two horses, was overtaken on the Droitwich road, near the Raven public-house, by the soldiers, who wanted to ride in his cart, and on being refused they beat and abused him, and struck him with the butt end of a sword or bayonet, which laid bare his skull, and very much otherwise bruised him about the hear; the sergeant unhooked fore horse, and rode with it in it’s gearing toward this city, but the son of the deceased, a lad of 13 years of age, who was going to meet his father, seeing the sergeant on the horse, stopped him and challenged the horse, upon which the sergeant dismounted, saying, he should have left the horse at the turnpike; that a man behind had been very much hurt, and that he had ran a quarter of a mile to catch the horse – he then went towards Worcester. The boy and another lad with him afterwards found the deceased kneeling in his cart, with his clothes bloody, and nearly in a state of stupefaction; he said that he had been hurt by three soldiers, and rendered senseless for some time from a blow he received from the w3eapon, and that one of them had taken away his horse. He was conveyed to our infirmary and great hopes were entertained of his recovery, but a fresh collection of matter having formed on the brain, brought on his dissolution. The sergeant appeared in public till the day 0f the inquest, when he quitted his quarters, and is supposed to be gone towards Staffordshire; proper enquiry, however, is, we understand, making after him. The other two soldiers have not since been heard of.”
The Stamford Mercury, 3rd January, 1800.